Above-ground swimming pool assembly



July 7, 1970 v. SHANNI 3,518,704

ABOVE-GROUND SWIMMING POOL ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 4, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNi/fA/TOP y. SHANN/ AT TOR/VEV .Lul'iy 7;, WW v. SHANNI 3,518,704

ABOVE-GROUND SWIMMING POOL ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 4, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG, 3

FIG. 4

FIG. 5

United States Patent M ABOVE-GROUND SWIMMING POOL ASSEMBLY Vincent Shanni, Scotch Plains, N.J., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Anthony Pools, Inc., South Gate, Califi, a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 4, 1967, Ser. No. 687,578 Int. Cl. E04h 3/16, 3/18 US. Cl. 4-172.21 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A swimming pool assembly comprises a vertical wall section with a coping section welded to the top surface, a deck section comprising parallel inner and outer members interconnected by cross members, and a plurality of brace members extending from a lower part of the wall section to the outer member of the deck section. The coping section includes a generally arcuate member one side of which forms a rocket for receiving a swimming pool liner and the other side of which forms a channel for receiving and securing one side of a decking member upon which people may walk. The outer member of the deck section includes a channel for receiving the other side of the decking member and a channel for receiving the brace members. The swimming pool can be constructed by fitting together the wall section, deck section and braces to form a swimming pool assembly, bolting together four swimming pool assemblies in the shape of a rectangle, and inserting a swimming pool liner in the continuous socket formed by the coping sections.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION With the development of economical water-containing plastics such as vinyl and the like, many advances have been made in swimming pool construction, a significant one of which is the Widespread sale and use of aboveground swimming pools. The most common of such pool structures is the familiar circular pool which employs as its basic components a large sheet of corrugated steel wrapped in the shape of a cylinder and a plastic pool liner secured to an upper edge of the cylindrical steel structure. Of course, as the size of the pool increases, additional bracing members are included for supporting the sheet steel. Pools of this type are generally economical, convenient to construct, and are capable of absorbing stresses resulting from water pressure and normal pool use. In the absence of substantial modifications, however, structures using corrugated sheet steel as the primary component do not provide much support for people sitting around the edge of the pool and they do not lend themselves very conveniently to a rectangular configuration of the pool which many people consider to be desirable.

Rectangular above-ground swimming pools having peripheral deck areas for supporting the users of the pools have not as yet found very widespread acceptance because of their structural complexity and their resulting relatively high cost, both in terms of materials and installation. Such swimming pools that are of sufiicient simplicity to permit do-it-yourself installation by unskilled persons have generally proven to be structurally unreliable and of lim ited durability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide an economical above-ground rectangular swimming pool that is structurally reliable and yet can be conveniently assembled with a minimum of skill.

This and other objects of the invention are attained in an illustrative embodiment thereof of the type described in the Abstract of the Disclosure. As will be appreciated 3,518,704 Patented July 7, 1970 hereinafter, the wall section comprises a plurality of horizontally extending panels which are welded to a plurality of vertically extending support members. The coping section, which is an important part of the invention, is then welded to an upper surface of the wall section to form an integrated wall section. As will become clear later, the triangular shaped pool assembly is easily assembled by inserting part of the deck section into a channel of the coping section, inserting ends of the braces into a channel of the deck section, bolting the other end of the braces to the bottom part of the wall section and inserting a top decking member into opposite channels formed on the coping section and the deck section. Four of these assemblies can be easily bolted together to form a rectangular enclosure in which a swimming pool liner can be secured by the coping sockets. The triangular configuration of each swimming pool section provides sufficient structural strength to withstand any strains of vigorous usage while still providing space and support for people on the upper decking member.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the swimming pool section in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the swimming pool assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the coping section of FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are sections taken along lines 44 and 5-5, respectively, of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a swimming pool assembly 11 comprising a wall section 12, a coping section 13, a deck section 14, a decking member 15 and a plurality of braces 16. A pair of angle members 17 of FIG. 1 are bolted to opposite sides of the wall section 12 for the purpose of securing the swimming pool assembly 11 to four other swimming pool assemblies thereby defining a rectangular enclosure. The directions in which the two assemblies directly connected to assembly 11 extend are shown by the dotted lines of FIG. 1, with the fourth assembly being included directly opposite assembly 11. After the four swimming pool assemblies have been bolted together in this manner, a swimming pool liner 18 shown in FIG. 2 is mounted in the enclosure for the purpose of containing water in the assembled swimming pool. The bottom of the swimming pool liner 18 is, of course, supported on the ground on which the swimming pool enclosure rests. Since the entire swimming pool enclosure is substantially symmetrical, and is formed from four swimming pool assemblies of substantially identical construction, the invention will be discussed only with reference to the single swimming pool assembly depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The swimming pool wall section comprises a plurality of extended panels 20 having a generally U-shaped crosssection as shown in FIG. 2. which are spot welded together and to a plurality of vertical support posts 21 only one of which is shown in FIG. 2. The structural details and advantages of panels 20 are described in my copending application Ser. No. 687,579, now Ser. No. 3,444,659, filed Dec. 4, 1967, contemporaneously herewith. The coping section 13 is welded to the upper surface of the wall section, and, as is shown more clearly in FIG. 3, comprises a horizontal portion 21, a vertical portion 22, a portion 23 that extends toward the inner side of the as- 3 sembly and an arcuateportion 24 that extends toward the outer side of the assembly.-The .termsinner and outer are used to denote locations near the pool enclosure and sway from the enclosure, respectively. Horizontal portion 21, portions 22 and 23 and a catch portion 25 together define a socket 26 for securing an upper edge of the pool liner 18 as shown in FIG. 2. This function of a swimming pool coping is described in the patent of Schmerler, 3,298,039, granted Jan. 17, 1967. Extending downwardly from the outside end of horizontal portion 21 is a U-- shaped portion 28 which defines an extended channel 29.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the deck portion 14 comprises an inner member 31, an outer member 32, and a pluralityof cross members 33 which are abutted against and welded to the inner and outer members. The inner member 31 has a U-shaped cross-section including a fiat vertical portion 35 which fits into the channel 29 of U- shaped portion 28. As shown in FIG. 1, the outer member 32 includes a horizontal wall portion 36, a vertical wall portion 37 against which the cross members 33 abut, a central wall portion 38, an upper L-shaped wall portion 39, and a lower L-shaped wall portion 40.

The upper L-shaped wall portion 39 defines with the horizontal wall portion 36 a channel for receiving an outer edge of decking member as shown in FIG. 1. The decking member 15 is therefore insertable in opposite channels of the coping 13 and the outer member 32, and after insertion is secured in place as shown in FIG. 2.

The central wall portion 38 and the lower L-shaped portion 40 together define a channel for receiving the flat end of braces 16. The major part of brace members 16 have a T-shaped cross-section as shown in FIG. 4, and are bolted at a lower end to one of the vertical support members 21, as shown in FIG. 5. The upper ends of the brace members, however, are flat and the wall portions 38 and 40 of outer member 42 are located such that when the brace member is inserted at the angle shown in FIG. 2, the central wall portion 38 bears on the upper surface of the brace member and the lower L-shaped portion 40 bears against the lower surface of the brace member.

Each of the major components of the assembly are preferably made of extruded aluminum which is strong and light and lends itself to economical mass-production techniques. Accordingly, each component is designed to have sutficiently small wall thicknesses to permit economical aluminum extrusion. After the individual components have been fabricated, the components of the wall section 12 and the coping section 13 are welded together to form an integrated wall section and the components of the deck section are welded together. As a result, the tie-mountable swimming pool can be conveniently packaged for sale by a retailer.

The user of the swimming pool can conveniently assemble the pool by inserting vertical portion 35 of the deck section into the channel of the U-shaped portion 28 of the coping section 13, sliding the uper ends of the brace members 16 into the channel formed between wall portions 38 and 40 of the outer member 32, and bolting the bottom sections of the brace members to the bottom parts of vertical support member 21. The vertical support members 21 are, of course, pre-drilled to receive the necessary bolts. Four of the swimming pool assemblies are bolted together by means of the 90 angle members 17 as described previously, to form a swimming pool enclosure, and the swimming pool liner 18 is mounted within the enclosure. The decking members 15 are then inserted along the tops of the swimming pool assemblies to provide a peripheral area of support for users of the swimming pool. The decking 15 is preferably sloped at a very small angle as shown in FIG. 2 so that the upper surfaces of the decking and the upper surface of the coping 13 provide a substantially continuous upper surface for the users of the pool. The various dimensions shown are not intehded be accurate and for purposesoficlarity in describing the invention.

in some cases are exaggerated When the completed pool is filled with water as shown in FIG. 2, the forces of the water pressure are greatest at the bottom of each pool assembly which tends to exert a counterclockwise torque on the triangular assembly shown in thedrawing. People resting on the decking member 15, on the other hand, tend to exert a clockwise torque on the assembly It can be appreciated from these considerations, that the general triangular configuration gives optimum stress absorbingcharacteristics in addition to the other advantages mentioned above. It should be noted from FIGS. 2 and 5 that one end of the brace member 16-abuts firmly against the vertical support member 21 while the other end is secured firmly within the channel of the outer member 32. As a result, each of the triangular sections shown in FIG. 2 is structurally rigid even though only a single bolt is used in its assembly.

Various other components of the completed swimming pool have, for the purpose of brevity and clarity, been omitted. For example, it is preferred that the deck section be continuous around the periphery of the swimming pool to give additional support to the pool and also to provide a continuous deck area for the pool users. For most pools an additional deck section is preferably provided at one end of the pool for giving an additional recreation area for the users. Metal straps preferably extend along the pool floor between opposite wall sections and diagonally across the pool corners for giving additional structural containment of the water. Appropriate panels are preferably secured to the sloping sides of each swimming pool assembly for enhancing the attractiveness of the completed pool.

The single swimming pool assembly which has been discussed in detail has been presented merely for the purposes of illustrating the inventive concepts of the invention. Various other modifications and embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A.swimming pool assembly comprising:

a wall section;

a coping section connected to a top surface of the wall section;

a deck section comprising an inner member, an outer member and a plurality of cross members, each connected to the inner and outer members;

said coping section comprising a fiat horizontal portion having an inner side, an outer side, and a U-shaped portion extendingtransversely from the outer side of the horizontal portion;

said coping section further comprising a socket-defining portion extending along the length of the coping section which'includes a first portion extending vertically from "the horizontal portion, a second portion extending in the direction of the inner side, and a third portion extending from the second portion in the direction of the outer side;

' said socket-defining portion and 'said horizontal portion I defining therebetween a socket for receiving an edge of a swimming pool liner;

said second and third portions of the socket-defining portion defining therebetween a first channel for receiving an inner edge of a decking member;

the inner member of the deck section including a fiat vertical portion;

the U-shaped portion of the coping section defining a U-shaped second channel for receiving the flat vertical portion of the inner member;

and means included on the outer means of the deck section'for securing an outer edge of the decking member.

2. The swimming pool assembly of claim 1 further comprising:

means for supporting the deck section and the wall section comprising aplurality of brace members each extending from a1 ower portion of the wall section to the outer member of the deck section;

said outer member comprising a flat horizontal wall portion, ac entral wall portion extending vertically downwardly from a central region of the horizontal wall portion, a first substantially L-shaped wall portion extending vertically downwardly from an outer side of the horizontal wall portion, and a second substantially L-shaped wall portion extending vertically upwardly from the outer side of the horizontal wall portion;

the central wall portion and the first L-shaped wall portion defining therebetween a third channel for receiving said brace members;

and the securing means for the outer edge of the decking member comprising a fourth channel defined between the second L-shaped wall portion and the horizontal wall portion.

3. The swimming pool assembly of claim 2 wherein:

the third portion of the coping section has a generally arcuate cross-section with a free outer side which is vertically displaced from the second portion of the coping by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the decking member, whereby, when the decking member is inserted in the first channel, the free outer side of the third portion bears on the deck ing member to secure it against spurious vertical movement and the upper surface of the arcuate third portion forms with the upper surface of the decking member a substantially smooth continuous surface which maximizes comfort and minimizes hazards for people standing on the decking member.

4. The swimming pool assembly of claim 3 wherein:

the wall section and the coping section are welded together to form an integrated wall section;

the components of the deck section are welded together;

the brace members are each adapted to be bolted on one end to the lower portion of the wall section;

and further comprising a plurality of 90 angle members each adapted to be bolted to vertical side surfaces of the two integrated wall sections, whereby the swimming pool assembly may be conveniently assembled by inserting the flat vertcial portion of the inner member of the deck section in to the U-shaped second channel of the coping section, inserting one end of the brace members into the third channel of the deck section outer member, bolting the other ends of the brace members to the lower portion of the integrated wall section, and inserting the decking member into the first channel of the coping section and the fourth channel of the outer member of the deck section, and a rectangular swimming pool may be conveniently assembled from four swimming pool assemblies by bolting the constituent wall sections to the 90 angle members such that adjacent integrated wall sections form 90 angles, and inserting an edge of a swimming pool liner into the sockets of the four integrated wall sections.

5. The swimming pool assembly of claim 4 wherein:

a major portion of each of the brace members has a T-shaped cross-section and the portion of each brace member adapted to extend into the third channel has a flat rectangular cross-section;

the central wall portion of the outer member bears against an upper surface of each of the brace members, and a free end of the first L-shaped wall portion of the outer member bears against a lower surface of each of the brace members.

6. The swimming pool assembly of claim 3 wherein:

the inner member of the deck section has a substantially U-shaped cross-section and includes the aforesaid flat vertical portion insertable in the second channel of the coping section and a second flat vertical portion displaced therefrom;

and the cross members of the deck section have substantially U-shaped cross-sections, the ends of which abut the second fiat vertical portion of the inner member.

7. A swimming pool coping section comprising:

an extended flat horizontal portion having an inner side and an outer side;

a socket-defining portion extending along the length of the horizontal portion and comprising a first portion extending vertcally upwardly from the horizontal portion, a second portion extending in the direction of the inner side, and a third portion extending in the direction of the inner side, and a third portion extending from the second portion in the direction of the outer side;

said second portion and part of said horizontal portion defining a socket for receiving an edge of a swimming pool liner;

said second and third portions of the socket-defining portion defining a first channel for receiving an inner edge of a decking member;

and means for defining a second channel for securing part of a deck section to the coping section comprising a U-shaped section extending along the outer side of the horizontal portion.

8. The coping section of claim 7 wherein:

the third portion of the coping section has a generally arcuate cross-section with a free outer end which is vertically displaced from the second portion of the coping by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the decking member, whereby the free outer side of the third portion is adapted to bear on the decking member to secure it against spurious vertical movement and the upper surface of the third portion is adapted to form with the surface of the decking member a substantially smooth continuous surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,786,613 12/1930 Hooper 4l72 3,016,546 1/1962 Lerner 4l72 3,298,039 1/1967 Schmerler 4l72 3,317,926 5/1967 Hall 4l72 3,351,958 11/1967 Shields 4l72 3,371,455 3/1968 Fox 4l72 XR 3,409,916 11/1968 Billig et al. 4l72 3,416,165 12/1968 Pereira 4l72 3,427,663 2/ 1969 OConnell et al. 4l72 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner HENRY K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

